Friday, March 17, Launchpad (21-and-over); $12: I should preface this by saying that the idea of individual entitlement by birth, whether it be money, fame or artistic talent, is somewhat nauseating. That said, pursuing a career in music as the spawn of a great musician must be a complex position to be in. Some obviously do use nepotistic avenues to gain commercial success (Lisa Marie Presley, Jakob Dylan). Some hide their parentage (Nora Jones, daughter of Ravi Shankar). Others are legitimately talented (Natalie Cole, Hank Williams Jr.). The latter is true of the son of outlaw country legends Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, who after years of rocking in L.A. with his band Stargunn, decided to get back to his roots and become the outlaw he was born to be.
Don't go expecting a Waylon Jennings clone (even though he sort of looks like a Waylon Jennings clone): Shooter's sound is totally southern, but made of equal parts rock ‘n' roll and rough honky tonk. Besides gratuitous references to getting shit-faced, his music is quite heartfelt. And don't be surprised if you hear a Waylon cover or two tonight; I'm crossing my fingers for “Luckenbach, Texas.”
